U.S. revokes 600 visas in fresh crackdown on birth tourism
The U.S. government on Wednesday said at least 600 visas were revoked in one month to block foreign nationals flocking into America for birth tourism.
The U.S. Department of State Secretary, Marco Rubio, disclosed this move in a post on X on Wednesday, adding that a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has been established to tackle the menace.
“American citizenship is not for sale,” Mr Rubio said. “The State Department established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to review the activity of visa holders, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to this heinous abuse of our nation’s laws.”
The state secretary said “In just one month, the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has taken action to revoke more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe and will continue to safeguard our nation from this abuse.”
According to Mr Rubio, elaborate birth tourism rings are profiting off the exploitation of America’s laws- coaching foreigners to defraud the U.S. visa system, arranging travel and housing, and even forging documents, to enable foreign nationals to obtain citizenship for their children.
“The State Department will use all available tools to dismantle birth tourism networks and defend the integrity of U.S. citizenship,” Mr Rubio said.
In less than two years in office, the administration of President Donald Trump revoked over 175,000 visas of foreign nationals who committed crimes, defrauded Americans and violated the terms of their visas.
Last Thursday, Mr Trump signed two Executive Orders to limit birthright citizenship and halt birth tourism in the U.S.
“The first Executive Order non-exhaustively identifies certain categories of children of aliens who are not entitled to birthright citizenship, consistent with historical exceptions to birthright citizenship recognized by the Supreme Court in Barbara,” the White House said.
It added, “The second Executive Order delegates presidential authorities to the Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security and directs them to halt the practice of birth tourism.”
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